Apr 29, 2011

*This happened two Fridays ago. I just got too much stuff on my plate that I failed to finish it and publish right away.*

Funny how two awesome ladies from the office made me ecstatic at one point and melancholic on another. Girlfriends really are God's gift :-)

I'm sharing the happy part first, just because I wanna do it chronologically :P

When I was about to be transferred to this new project, I was so devastated I was actually crying in silence in my workstation. But you know how God has a way of turning things around? Even I was surprised that I can wholeheartedly say I am happy here. Not the I-want-to-stay-here-forever type but at least now I'm no longer dragging myself to work every friggin day. Well of course I still get stressed. The demanding workload is there, the pressure from the bosses is there, but despite those, I have an amazing friend to help me get through the all of them. Without further ado, I want you to meet K, the office buddy I'm destined to have :)

Just to give you a brief background, K isn't a total stranger. I've been seeing her around even before we were teammates because she always spearheads the creative department. I can still remember how she asked me to draw a gigantic candy cane for our Christmas village, good thing I came up with something like it. It was followed by discussions about user requirements and test scenarios. During those work-related talks we found out that we have a lot of things in common -- we both love artsy stuff, our desks are both cluttered, we both easily lose focus, and the list goes on. But the friendship became official that fateful day she asked me to join her for lunch - it's then that we found out that even our love story is similar! How cool is that?! :D

Okay, fast forward to three Mondays ago. We threw some sort of despedida for K because she's about to transfer to another team and the highlight of the event is this:

It's an artwork that we did so that she'll have a souvenir from the team she spent a year with. She always always draws whenever she explains work concepts (and she particularly loves doing it on A3) so we thought a sketch pad is perfect. When I saw how much she liked it, setting the test plan aside to complete it was well worth it.

I swear, her thank yous were more than enough but that certain Friday she showed up out of the blue with this:

As far as I remember, it's the first time someone from the office did something spontaneously sweet for me. I caught myself staring at it for minutes with a big smile on my face. K made my heart melt. She made me feel appreciated, and that's something all of us want every once in a while, right? :D

****

Now on to the bittersweet part.

I think I've mentioned her here already: Lucy, my OT buddy. We used to spend late nights/early mornings in the office when I was still with my previous project.

A few hours after K made me feel giddy with the sweet treat, Lucy sent her farewell e-mail. Yup, she's taking a career leap, but with another company. Part of me is happy for her because it's a great opportunity for professional growth but a bigger part of me is sad that we had to say goodbye (for now).

Teary-eyed, I sent a simple reply saying that I'm gonna miss her and that we'll have Facebook anyway so we can always keep in touch. But really, what I wanna say is thanks for going to the comfort room with me when it's just the two of us in the entire floor, for making me feel that it's okay to decorate one's cube and make it one's own, for keeping my hopes up that the TL's gonna approve my leave despite our heavy load, and for being the workmate that I expect her to be and more.

Surely, I'll miss Lucy. I'll miss how she eavesdrops my phone calls and PMs me her reactions. I'll miss how we talk about office rumors aka "salary increase" or "performance review". I'll miss how she answers all my questions - work-related or not - without inhibitions. I'll miss how she gives me advice on how to keep my sanity intact because she's been there, done that.

Like she said in her e-mail, we'll see each other again, maybe become officemates again. But until that day comes, all I can do is wish Lucy the best, only because she deserves nothing less.

Well I have (some) bragging rights because my little sister brought home 3rd Place in the NationalSchools Press Conference - Newswriting Category held April 10-16 in Butuan City.

I mean, I know it ain't the top spot but competing with 50 other bright young writers from the entire archipelago and bagging the bronze is definitely still worth celebrating. Especially knowing that our young lady used to be someone who couldn't care less about school, the achievement just made everyone of us overflowing with pride.

Congratulations, Micah dear. You did a fantastic job bringing honor to your school, the city of Makati and your family who was with you all the way.

Apr 26, 2011

Let me start sharing with you our Ilocos Adventure by writing about how I felt AFTER it.

We got to J's office in Cainta at around 5AM. We just sorted our stuff then he brought me home. He wasn't able to sleep the entire 12-hour drive because I was sleeping in his arms so I asked him to take a nap first when we got here a little shy of 6AM. We savored our last few hours together, had breakfast then it was time for him to go home. I walked him to where he'll get a ride and then it's official -- our weekend is over.

In my previous post I said that the hardest part about a vacation is preparing to go back to work the next day. But I was sooooo wrong. It's nothing compared to going back to reality that we again have to be apart. Spending almost 5 days having him by my side 24/7 was just pure bliss. Exactly the reason I was feeling low since yesterday. I got so used to seeing him all day and cuddling with him all night that I had a difficult time adjusting to our normal routines again. It was an emotional rollercoaster, I tell you.

I was okay the first few hours, in fact I was even able to post an FB status and a blog about how happy the weekend was. It was when I'm already in the office that it sank in: No more holding his hand whenever I want, no more sharing a plate with him during breakfast, lunch and dinner, no more sleeping in each other's arms and seeing him every waking moment. In my head was a flashback of the past 4 days and without me noticing it, my eyes were welling up with tears. Actually, It's been a day now but I'm still crying as I type :'(

I, myself, feel that I'm being a little too emotional but I can't help it, really. This morning, waking up next to pillows just made me cry again. I know this has got to stop. Question is... how? :(

Apr 25, 2011

I just got back from an out-of-town trip with the love of my life! Guess where we went?

Yes, Ilocos it is! :D

Remember how I had a dilemma on where we'll go for our anniversary? Also, remember last week I shared that I already had booked a flight to Cebu? Well, life truly has a way of surprising us because just when I am convinced that an Ilocos tour had to wait (for the mean time), J tagged me along to their company outing and we had the bestest 4-day vacay of our lives!

I will try to squeeze blogging snippets of the trip into my sched but for now I gotta deal with the hardest part about getting yourself a vacation -- preparing to go back to work! :P

I hope you all had a great time with your loved-ones this weekend as much as I did! :D

Apr 11, 2011

Everytime I check my blog, a part of me gets worried because the clock is ticking (see sidebar gadget :P) and I haven't made the first step yet for our 6th anniversary. But today, with 1 month 3 weeks and 2 days left, I have booked us a flight to Cebu! Hurray!

Well it's not the cheapest of CebuPac fares but I grabbed it because I feel that time is running out. Also, our flight is scheduled a day after our actual anniversary but I'd like to think it's a good choice because I'll be able to celebrate with Mom on her 43rd birthday. I don't think I'll be completely happy knowing that Mom might be making tampo. So yeah, June 5-8 it is!

Apr 2, 2011

Okay. I know I've been quiet the past days and I haven't had a new post but it's been a little stressful at work. Last Thursday though I made it a point to leave the office early to do something I've never done in years: SPEND TIME WITH MY HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDS.

I swear I think the last time I saw some of them was high school graduation so the moment they invited, I knew I just had to come. Also, one of my friends, Cecile, who lives in Japan and experienced the historic 8.9 magnitude earthquake is going back there next week so it's really high time to see each other and catch-up.

First things first: DINNER @ Ibayo Restaurant along San Miguel by the Bay.

Just a couple of days back I told myself that I really won't eat much during dinner but I ate my words again. Thumbs up for the food. They're your typical Filipino dishes but they're cooked pretty well. The servings are generous too! We just had an additional platter of rice and the set meal good for 4-8 was enough for like 11 persons. And the best thing is we only paid PhP 1645.

Kare-Kare

Crispy Pata

Adobong Kangkong

Part of the set meal but were not in picture are fried chicken, turon, rice and iced tea.

While saying grace. Would you believe me if I tell you that I'm not looking at the crispy pata? Haha

Oh the ambiance is noteworthy as well. Casual yet classy. I suggest you try it there some time.

We talked about, of course, tons of high school memories. These girls are hilarious as ever! We were so noisy that it's like we rented the place and the lady in the other table looks annoyed already but we couldn't care less. We haven't been together for ages and we have to make the most out of the evening.

My official HS barkada, minus the busy ones.

After dinner some had to go -- but we promised to organize a more formal get-together and make sure more people can come. But I tell you, for most of us, the night is young. In fact, the guest of honor haven't even arrived yet!

Cec and her Canadian husband, Dave, came around 10PM and it's time for the after-party. We walked around looking for a place where we could hang out and we stumbled upon Bed Scene.

I've been hearing nice things about the place but it's my first time to try it. It's one of a kind because they had, well from the name itself, beds instead of tables. It's perfect for a cozy affair but it's not for big groups like us because you hardly see the people at the other end of the bed. We transferred to the tables outside and it was a lot better.

The session started. Dave shared their earthquake experience over a tower of beer and some apple-flavored drinks. He's an amazing storyteller we felt like we were actually there! He told us how the ordeal changed the way he sees life. It was then that he realized that you may have a lot of money in your pocket but it wouldn't matter because there's nothing to spend it on -- shelves are wiped out of food, gasoline stations are closed -- and in the end it's still the genuine care of the people around you that would help you survive.

Guy is talking about how hard it is to drive during an earthquake. Girl is making chika. Hahaha.

The latter part of the night was spent musing over about our youth and realizing how crazy we were back in the day. We unearthed stories about our mischiefs, and how these got our teachers at wits' end. We talked about how we hoarded the yummy baon of our classmates and how (well) we cheated during Math exams. We recalled the habitual fight about who's gonna mop the floor, the snacks that disappear from someone else's bag, the silly school plays, the overpriced food in the cafeteria, oh even a classmate's BO (yeah, we're a little mean like that!). LOL.

Soon we had to call it a night -- an awesome night full of laughing and reminiscing and bonding the Malatean way -- and those who failed to come definitely missed a lot :D